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Making Cents episodes
- “Do I really need a million dollars to retire?” Mailbag episode
Nothing spikes the heart rate quite like seeing a headline claiming you need a million dollars to retire.
This week’s Ask the Experts listener is 47, the kids are nearly out the door, and retirement planning in New Zealand has suddenly stopped feeling like a ‘one day’ problem.
Which means the recent run of articles about retirement savings, retirement villages, or aged care costs are sending her straight into panic mode.
She’s heard the horror stories, of complex retirement village contracts, huge upfront costs, expensive aged care facilities, and now she’s worried she’s already missed the boat. How much do you actually need to retire in NZ? Is a million dollars realistic? Should you be downsizing the family home once the kids leave, or is it too early to make that call?
Will White from Heartland Bank joins the show, to strip away the scare headlines and focus on what really matters. What retirement costs most people forget to factor in, how lifestyle choices affect how much you need, and why being “behind” at 47 doesn’t mean you’re out of options.
If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] and you might feature on our next episode!
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
18 min - Jenny-May Clarkson on leaving TVNZ, reinvention, and career pivots
Jenny-May Clarkson is one of the most recognisable faces in Aotearoa, from her years as a Silver Fern to fronting the TVNZ Breakfast couch every morning.
She’s also living proof that starting over and reinventing your career is now incredibly common. And sometimes, incredibly public.
After quite quickly leaving the TVNZ Breakfast team, Jenny-May is now facing the same reality so many Kiwis deal with: when a secure job disappears, what happens next?
Because behind the lights and glamour, the truth is simple. People on screen rely on that pay cheque just as much as anyone else. And when the TVNZ cameras turn off, the bills don’t.
In this episode, Jenny-May opens up about leaving TVNZ Breakfast, the burnout she didn’t see coming, the financial reality of walking away from a stable salary, and the fear of starting over at 51 with no guaranteed next step. She talks about losing confidence, rebuilding it, and why she believes reinvention is a skill anyone can learn, no matter when it happens in life.
Because she’s also now looking to build something new, and create opportunities through self-employment.
For anyone facing a crossroads, Jenny-May shares the mindset shifts and practical steps that helped her take control of her money, her career, and her identity again.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
1 hr - Use the bank's money to pay off your mortgage? You bet.
A quick and dirty update of mortgage tricks to get rid of the debt faster. Including using the bank's money, instead of yours!
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about it, replayed here with permission.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Market Memo newsletter.
9 min - “Are those ‘mortgage-free in five years’ hacks for real?” Mailbag episode
Ever wondered whether those “mortgage-free in five years” hacks you see online are real, or just clever marketing?
With so many mortgage “shortcuts” floating around social media, it’s hard to know what actually works, especially in New Zealand’s property market.
In this Ask the Experts episode, we break down the truth behind mortgage-freedom shortcuts: the strategies that genuinely speed up your repayment timeline, the red flags to watch for, and the behavioural traps that can cost you thousands.
Financial coach Shelley Palman from EnableMe has tricks from smart mortgage structures like offset and revolving credit, to how much extra principal you actually need to pay to shave years (and hundreds of thousands of dollars) off your loan.
We cover:
• which “mortgage-free fast” claims are legitimate
• the tactics that work for ordinary Kiwi households
• common mortgage mistakes that slow you down
• how to avoid clickbait mortgage hacks
• mindset strategies to stay motivated on a long payoff plan
If you’re trying to pay off your mortgage faster, avoid bad mortgage advice, or understand how to structure your home loan for long-term financial freedom, this episode will give you the clarity you need.
Don't forget, if you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] and you might feature on our next episode!
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
20 min - How nine years in a tiny home bought freedomIf you’ve ever wondered whether living in a tiny home can genuinely change your life, this is a story worth hearing.After nearly nine years in her tiny house, Kasia Morrison has rebuilt her entire life from the ground up - financially, personally, and professionally.Downsizing didn’t just cut her cost of living. It gave her the freedom to start over when everything else collapsed: her marriage, her business, and the future she thought she was building.But tiny-home living comes with financial fish hooks too, from higher-interest loans, to the reality that a tiny house doesn’t behave like a traditional property when it comes to long-term wealth.In this episode, we dig into how to make tiny-home life work in the real world: the strategy you need, the money plan that sits beneath it, and the mindset shifts that help you rebuild after a major life change.Kasia shares what surprised her about living tiny, how it changed her definition of success, and why she’s committed to this lifestyle for the long haul.Whether you’re dreaming about downsizing, craving more financial freedom, or standing at the bottom of your own “start again” moment, this conversation shows what’s possible when you strip life back to the essentials.To listen to the full, extended interview, listen to Making Cents on any podcast player, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe#makingcents #francescook #tinyhomedecor #tinyhouse #tinyhome #tinyhouseliving #SmallSpaceBigLife, #financialfreedom #downsizingjourney #tinyhousetour #spacesavingideas #tinyhomedesignThis podcast was filmed & produced by FanaticalsVideo editing & content production by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockChapters00:00 – Introduction01:18 – Tiny house strategy: lifestyle choice and financial plan02:29 – Why tiny?05:16 – Smart storage, loft beds & designing small spaces that work06:29 – Tiny home stereotypes, minimalism myths and downsizing09:14 – Financing a tiny home15:47 – Using tiny living to start a small business18:59 – Rebuilding from rock bottom21:13 – New business & space-saving products23:20 – Paid-off tiny home, independence and redefining success28:01 – Tiny home tips28:55 – Outro37 min
- “How to find an affordable first home in an expensive city - maybe with a llama?” Mailbag episode
If property prices are doing your head in and you’re starting to wonder whether buying a first home is even possible anymore, it’s time to figure out what’s actually happening.
A listener from Wellington writes in to say they love their city, they want stability for their kids, but every time they look at the market, it feels completely out of reach.
In this Ask the Experts episode, Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz helps me dig into what’s actually happening in the New Zealand property market right now, whether this is a good time to buy, and how to figure out if you’re personally ready to take the leap.
We also break down how to research good suburbs, how to spot affordable pockets in an expensive city, and which property data actually matters when you’re trying to make a smart decision.
If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] and you might feature on our next episode!
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
18 min - Angry at credit card debt? Here’s how to fight back, with Sasha Lockley from Money Sweetspot
Plenty of us get angry about the money world being unfair. But few people get angry enough to actually change something.
Sasha Lockley did.
Sasha started Money Sweetspot because, in her own words, she was furious. Furious that so many ordinary New Zealanders were working hard, making tough decisions, and still drowning in debt.
In this episode of Making Cents, we dig into the emotional and practical realities of debt in New Zealand.
We talk about why people get trapped, what actually works to pay down loans faster, what doesn’t, and how shame, guilt, and overwhelm derail the plans you make.
We also look beyond the individual level. Because while there are things we can control in our own financial lives, there are also parts of the debt system that need fixing, and Sasha has a front-row seat to what needs to change.
In this episode we cover:
- Why Sasha got angry enough to start Money Sweetspot
- What she’s learned from thousands of real NZ debt stories
- The loan traps catching ordinary Kiwis every day
- The worst debt myths doing the rounds online
- What actually works when you’re trying to pay off the credit card faster
- Why shame and avoidance make debt worse, and how to break that cycle
- Simple first steps if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start
- What needs to change at a system level to stop this happening to so many people
If you’ve ever felt stuck, ashamed, or overwhelmed by debt, this conversation will help you understand what’s really going on, and what you can realistically do next.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
40 min - How to take the first steps into investing
Become an investor with less stress, and no finance degree.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about how to get out of your own way if you've been wanting to dip a toe into the sharemarket.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Market Memo newsletter.
9 min - “Single parent at 46, how do I avoid poverty at 70?” Mailbag episode
If you’ve pushed money aside for years, only to wake up in your mid-40s with a toddler, a tiny KiwiSaver balance, and a creeping fear about what life looks like at 70… where do you even begin?
That’s the heart of today’s Ask the Experts letter.
A single mum at 46 is saving just a few dollars a week, working part-time, and terrified that she’s already run out of time to build any kind of financial safety.
So what are the options when you’re starting late, starting small, or starting over?
- How much is “enough” for retirement?
- Does homeownership still make sense when you’re on the back foot?
- What can you realistically focus on when your capacity is limited by childcare, low income, and years of unstable work?
- And is it ever truly too late to turn things around?
Shelley Palman from EnableMe is in the hot seat to map out the options, the trade-offs, and the first practical steps to take when you’re overwhelmed but determined.
If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] and you might feature on our next episode!
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals
Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
20 min - I cut 8 years off my mortgage with $20 - here's howA simple $20 tweak can dramatically cut down the life of your mortgage, so now it’s time to talk about the strategy I used to shave eight years off mine.With just a small repayment, years disappeared. So here’s how, and why, it works.I’ve used my experience as a financial journalist to change my money, so get an inside look at my finances, then why extra repayments are so powerful in the early years of a home loan, how interest is actually structured, and the practical ways you can use that to get mortgage-free faster to make it work for you.Time to talk about the main mortgage repayment strategies available in New Zealand, and how to figure out which one works for your lifestyle and spending habits.Plus: how to automate extra payments, how to use falling interest rates to your advantage, why fortnightly repayments sneak in an extra payment each year, and when to throw windfalls at the loan for maximum impact.If you’re trying to get ahead on your mortgage without sacrificing your entire life to it, this episode gives you the simple tactics that make the biggest difference.Tune in for a realistic, NZ-specific breakdown of what actually works, and how small changes can save you years.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe#makingcents #francescook #mortgagefree #mortgage #homeloan #financialfreedom #debtfreejourney #moneytips #moneymindset #mortgagetips #payoffdebt #firsthomebuyerThis podcast was filmed & produced by FanaticalsVideo editing & content production by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockChapters00:00 – Introduction00:55 – My “baby journalist” days02:13 – A tiny $20 pay rise that changed everything03:32 – How extra repayments triple the power of your money05:56 – Why extra repayments are most powerful at the beginning07:53 – Using compounding interest against your debt08:41 – The truth behind “secret” mortgage payoff hacks09:47 – Method 1: The $20 mindset10:57 – Method 2: Offset and revolving credit explained14:17 – Method 3: Switching from monthly to fortnightly payments15:09 – Method 4: Keep repayments the same when rates drop16:04 – Method 5: Throw bonuses, tax refunds and side hustle money at it17:02 – Method 6: Automate extra payments so willpower doesn’t matter19:02 – Outro20 min
About Making Cents
From the publisher's feed
The podcast for people who want financial freedom, without giving up their coffee.
That means it's time to make the money world make cents. Join Frances Cook, best-selling author and award-winning journalist, to talk about the proven ways to invest your way to financial independence, buy your first home, or just get your spending under control.
Every Monday we have the week's feature interview, with someone who's done something interesting with their money. From paying off a mountain of debt, or investing for financial independence, or starting a new business, these are the ordinary people making the extraordinary possible.
On Thursday we have Ask the Experts, where industry insiders answer your questions on the money world. From earning more in your career, to investing, or sticking to a budget, they'll help make money simple.
Every now and then you'll get a bonus episode too, but the fun of those is that you never know when they're coming!
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